High School Reunion
by spwarkle
Summary: "She should have expected it, of course. How could she have expected Nate to go a decade without finding the one? Just because Caitlyn hadn't been in any relationships longer than a couple of months didn't mean Nate was the same." Naitlyn.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first oneshot in absolutely forever... I can't remember the last time I posted one, yet alone what it was... but this is one of the reasons I've been updating so rarely recently. I've got a few of these that I'm working on at the moment, I've been trying to finish them all off.**

Loud music blared in Caitlyn's ears, almost deafening her before she had even entered the hall. She paused for a second, considering whether or not to just run and leave before things got any worse, but before she could make any attempt to escape she heard a voice from behind her.

"Caitlyn Gellar, don't you even think about leaving. This is a High School Reunion, not a night club. You can't get out of it under the pretence of being ill and you most definitely can't sneak out." Mitchie finally caught her up, wobbling slightly in her high heels. "All of your old friends are here, All those people you haven't spoken to since you were seventeen."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Caitlyn hissed. "You know full well what happened when I was seventeen."

"Yes, I do. I was there, remember? You fell in love with a boy who didn't love you back, blah blah blah. Come on, I bet you that when you see him you'll realise it was only ever a stupid crush."

Caitlyn didn't honour that comment with a response, instead turning back to the doors and stepping through them. The music didn't seem to be much worse, thankfully, but she had to stop for a few seconds so that her eyes could adjust to the bright lights that contrasted with outside's moonlit night. Mitchie's hand pushed her further inside.

"Come on." Her best friend muttered, taking her hand and dragging her across the room to the bar.

"Champagne, ladies?"

"Yes please." Caitlyn answered instantly. She grinned as she was handed a delicate glass of the expensive drink and downed half of it in one go. When she looked to speak to Mitchie she couldn't find her, until she noticed the brunette talking to s group of women across the hall.

Rather than intrude on their catch up, Caitlyn found a free table and dropped into one of the chairs there. Her eyes kept on scanning the hall for any sign of the familiar curls but she couldn't see them anywhere.

"He won't be here," She muttered. "He always said he would never bother with High School Reunions."

"Who won't be here?"

Caitlyn snapped her head around. "_Sophie_? Is that you?" The blonde girl nodded. "You look so different! In a good way of course!"

"I could say the same about you, Caitlyn. The last time I saw you, you were off to college with Mitchie, a proper little tomboy."  
Caitlyn looked at the slim body, tight fitting dress and sleek hair of her old friend. Sophie was obviously still in her prime, wearing a form hugging silver dress with a pair of matching high heeled shoes. "Whatever happened to the little nerd with the glasses we all knew and loved?"

"I grew up. I just kind of woke up one day with an urge for a new hair cut and while I was there I decided that I was going to redo everything – I got rid of those ridiculous glasses, completely updated my wardrobe and started looking at life in a different way."

"Sit down," Caitlyn invited her, pointing to one of the vacant seats. "It's been almost ten years, we have a lot of catching up to do." Sophie slipped into the spare seat. "By the way, you look amazing, the makeover definitely worked. You're almost glowing."

Sophie blushed and, unconsciously it seemed, began to play with the wedding ring on her left finger. Caitlyn hadn't noticed it before. "I'm not glowing because of the makeover," She admitted. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm pregnant."

Caitlyn gasped. "Soph, that's fantastic!"

Sophie smiled at her enthusiasm and then looked up over Caitlyn's shoulder with a broad grin. Caitlyn turned to see an unfamiliar man. He looked to be around the age of the two old friends, broad shouldered, muscular chest visible through his tight shirt. He was holding two drinks in his hands, one a beer and a glass of water. Sophie invited him to sit down next to her and the conversation took up where it had left off.

When Sophie and her husband left to speak to some of Sophie's other friends fifteen minutes later, Caitlyn's eyes immediately snapped up to scan the room again. How was he not here yet? The invites had stated to arrive almost a full hour ago and he wasn't here. Yet even as she thought this, a couple stepped through the doors into the hall, smiling brightly and holding hands. The girl was definitely not somebody from Caitlyn's school, she would have remembered the fiery red hair and sharp facial structure, but the man was an entirely different matter.

He still wore the curls in the exact same way he had worn them in High School, loose over his eyes. He had grown a few inches and was definitely carrying out the plan he had come up with when he was seventeen of working out to attract girls. The muscles in his chest and biceps were painfully obvious even from this distance. As far as Caitlyn could tell, his plan was working.

Nate took the girl up to the bar and ordered two drinks of some sort, muttering something to his companion and she burst into laughter. Each high pitched giggle struck Caitlyn like a blow to the face and she stared down at her lap in disgust.

A few moments later, somebody cleared their throat. Caitlyn looked up to find the very man she had been watching standing right beside her. She grinned at him but he didn't seem to recognise her.

"I don't mean to be a pain, but are these chairs free? Everywhere else is taken." He gestured to the packed tables.

Caitlyn felt her heart sink. They had been best friends for seven years, how did he not recognise her? Had she really changed all that much? Or maybe it was just that he had never really tried to remember her because their friendship had meant nothing to him.

"Sure, take them."

The girl took hold of both chairs but Nate stopped her before she could drag them away.

"Don't move them Lish. I think Cait might want to talk to me."

Caitlyn's head snapped up and she met Nate's gaze, a gaze full of amusement. He was laughing at her. He had managed to trick her, Caitlyn Gellar. In all the years they had been friends he had never managed to trick her successfully, not once.

"So what does that make the score?" Nate asked her. "One for me, three million for you?" Caitlyn slapped his chest playfully but he caught her hand and pulled her onto her feet so that he could hug her. "Hey Caity."

Caitlyn found herself hugging him back, feeling his toned chest pressed against her. Their hug lasted several moments, longer than a normal hug would have lasted. The girl seemed to notice this, clearing her throat and jerking Caitlyn out of her tiny piece of heaven.

"Of course. Lish, this is Caitlyn, I've told you about her, haven't I?"

"Yeah, you've told me all about her." Aylish grinned at Caitlyn and held out her hand. "I'm Aylish, Nate's fiancée."

"You're getting married?" Caitlyn asked the man next to her. Nate nodded. "Congratulations! When's the wedding?" Her voice was cheery and she tried to keep the distress out of her eyes, knowing full well that Nate would notice it. As it was, his eyebrows folded just the slightest as he watched her but he chose not to comment.

She should have expected it, of course. How could she have expected Nate to go a decade without finding the one? In her head, Nate had been single for all this time but in reality, he had probably been through about as many girlfriends as she had watched romantic comedies. Just because Caitlyn hadn't been in any relationships longer than a couple of months didn't mean Nate was the same.

"We haven't really planned anything yet," Aylish said, reaching for Nate's hand across the table. "We're thinking maybe early next year, somewhere with snow. Nate said he wouldn't mind getting married in a winter wonderland and it's always seemed ideal to me." Aylish leant and whispered something into Nate's ear. He grinned broadly and nodded at her. "Caitlyn I know that we only met a few minutes ago but how would you like to be a bridesmaid at the wedding?"

"Me?"

"Yes, of course. You and Nate were inseparable when you were kids, if the things he's told me are true. You should come, be a part of the wedding party."

Caitlyn gulped. How could she be a bridesmaid at the wedding of the boy she loved? It would be nice to be in contact with Nate again, to have somebody that wasn't Mitchie that she could relive High School memories with, but could she really attend a wedding, be that close to Nate when he said his vows and see him give his life to another woman?

"Aylish, are you sure? I mean, it's your wedding, I wouldn't want to get in the way on the big day." To Aylish she just sounded thoughtful but Nate narrowed his eyes.

"Not at all. Nate's best friend is definitely a friend of mine." Aslish smiled and her whole face seemed to light up. "I'll leave you two to catch up, go and mingle a bit."

The red head pushed her chair back and stood up silently, sweeping imaginary crumbs off of her dress onto the floor and then flouncing gracefully across the room.

"Hi Caitlyn." Nate grinned at her.

"Hey Nate." She smiled back. "So how've you been since we last saw each other?"

"Not bad actually. I've managed to keep a steady job going and a social life, I've met the love of my life and I'm getting married."

"Congratulations again, I'm really happy for you." It was a complete lie, from back to front, but Nate didn't seem to notice.

"So what about you, how've you been?"

"Okay I guess. I still live in LA, I share an apartment with Mitchie. Do you remember her? Well we're still best friends, nothing there has really changed since High School. I work as a boring old secretary for some company downtown and I haven't been in a serious relationship since... well ever, actually."

"So you replaced me," Nate flashed her a hurt look. "And gave up on love?"

"Not gave up, halted." Caitlyn corrected. "I fell in love years ago but the guy never realised it, he doesn't love me back."

"I'm sure he does, deep inside. Anyone would be a fool not to love you."

"Thanks Nate, you don't know how much that helps."

Aylish arrived back at the table twenty minutes later to find the two laughing and joking with an unfamiliar brunette. She watched from a short distance for a while as Nate caught up with the two girls. Some girls would have been jealous of their fiancé spending so much time with two girls, but Aylish knew that Nate could be trusted. They were only friends and she had little reason to be jealous.

She took the last few steps forward so that she as in sight. Nate caught sight of her and waved her over.

"Mitchie, this is Aylish, my fiancée. Lish, this is Mitchie Torres. I might have mentioned her a few times when I was telling you about Cait?"

"Yeah, I remember you. You were the crazy brave one who also managed to keep up with all of her schoolwork and keep out of trouble."

"That's not a bad description for a complete stranger." Caitlyn said. "Anyway, like I was saying, Mitchie and I have got to go if we want to get out of bed in time for work in the morning." She pushed her chair back and it scraped on the floor. Caitlyn winced at how undisciplined she seemed next to Aylish. "It was nice meeting you Aylish. Call me, Nate, and we'll sort out another meeting."

Nate pulled Caitlyn in for a hug and gently kissed her cheek. Her heart fluttered but she tried to pretend that it had made no impact on her at all as she pulled away.

"Bye, see you soon." As she walked out of the door, Caitlyn couldn't help but turn her head. Nate's eyes were boring into her back and she caught his gaze for a few precious seconds. Confident that he couldn't hear her, she added three more words to her goodbye. "I love you."

_xOx_

"Caityln! Up! Now!" Caitlyn instinctively threw up her hands, stopping the pillow just before Mitchie could smother her with it. "Good, you're awake!"

"Mitchie, I've been awake for almost an hour." Caitlyn told her sitting up slowly. "I just chose not to get out of bed because it's a Saturday and I have no wish to do anything except lie in."

"Well tough luck! You've got a visitor."

"Already? It's only half nine."

"I know, but he's here anyway."

"He?"

"Yeah, he."

"Who?"

"Someone."

"Mitchie!"

"Caitlyn!"

"Mitch!"

"Cait!"

"Who is it?"

"I'm not telling you!"

Caitlyn raised her eyebrows and lunged for the pillow in Mitchie's hand, yanking it out of her grip and then laughing as her friend almost fell out of the bed in her haste to get away. Caitlyn followed instantly, leaping onto the floor with bare feet and chasing Mitchie out into the living area of the apartment. When she saw the curly haired man standing in the middle of the room she froze.

"Nate?"

He turned. "Morning Caity!"

"What are you doing here?" Caitlyn asked, looking down at her outfit – a pair of old baggy tracksuit bottoms and an oversized Green Day shirt – and blushed. It had been just over a week since she last saw Nate and the contrast was staggering. Before the reunion she had spent hour getting ready, she had been wearing an expensive dress and had styled her hair carefully. This time, she had literally just rolled out of bed and was standing in front of the man she had been in love with for so long.

"Mitchie found your phone last night and called me once you'd fallen asleep," Nate told her. "She asked me if I wanted to come round this morning. I guess she didn't bargain on you getting up so late." He chuckled at her red face. "It's okay, Caity. You're allowed to have a lie in on Saturday's."

"Well maybe I am, but I wouldn't have done if Mitchie had told me she was inviting you around."

"I'm sorry, I must have forgotten to mention it." Mitchie smirked.

"So do you want to go out for breakfast?" Nate said.

Caitlyn smiled. "Yup. I'm in. Just give me five minutes to get dressed."

"I'll give you six."

Caitlyn rushed back into her room. There was no time for a shower, not unless she wanted Nate to spend half an hour standing awkwardly in her living room. She already knew what she wanted to wear, it was no problem choosing, but she had no idea where the clothes were. The jeans _should_ be in her wardrobe but Mitchie had probably borrowed them since she had last worn them, and the top should be hanging nearby, but she couldn't remember when she had last seen it.

After three minutes of searching, Caitlyn gave up. Since she had no plans to go out after breakfast, she just pulled on a clean pair of jeans that had once belonged to Mitchie and the first jumper that she could lay her hands on. She brushed out her hair and dabbed on a tiny amount of makeup before leaving the room.

"Five minutes and seventeen seconds," Nate said, looking up from his watch. "Impressive."

Caitlyn poked out her tongue. "I see you're still a neat freak."

"Neat freak?"

"Well, when we were friends before, you were always tidying my room when you came round and you would always do things like that, give exact answers instead of rounded ones."

"So that makes me a neat freak?" Nate step closer to her, narrowing his eyes playfully.

"Yes, it makes you a neat freak." Caitlyn confirmed, smirking. Nate's hands reached out and wrapped around her middle, tickling every part of her body that he could reach.

"Take. It. Back." Nate growled in her ear. "I am _not_ a neat freak."

"But you _are_!" Caitlyn squealed, attempting to wriggle out of his grasp. But Nate was relentless, he wouldn't stop until she apologised and she knew it. "Nate, I take it back! You're not a neat freak."

The tickling instantly stopped. "Why thank you."

"You are harsh," Caitlyn told him. Nate just laughed as he patted his pocket.

"Come on, let's go and get breakfast before they start serving lunch."

"Are you blaming me, Grey?"

"I don't know. Do you want me to blame you?"

"No, not particularly."

"Then yes, I am blaming you." Caitlyn pouted and turned to wave at Mitchie, only to find her friend staring at her through her hands, which she was holding in the shape of a heart.

"Mitchie!"

The girls' hands dropped just as Nate turned around, a quizzical expression on his face. When he saw Mitchie standing casually by the over, her hands hanging casually by her sides and her expression hurriedly dreamy, he knew all to well that she had assumed this position less than a second before he saw her. He had spent four years talking to nobody but Mitchie and Caitlyn. Just because he hadn't seen them for ten years didn't mean he couldn't tell when they were acting.

"Mitch, whatever you were doing, please don't. I was serious when I said they would be serving lunch by the time we got there."

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "Next time you decide to randomly turn up and take me out for breakfast, make sure you talk to _me _and not my crazy roommate."

"I heard that!"

"I know that you did." Nate and Caitlyn shared a grin as they left the apartment.

"So, I know this is going to sound like a really weird question, but what colour are the bridesmaids wearing at your wedding?"

Nate held up his hands. "I'm keeping out of it. The last time I tried to suggest anything to do with dresses at all, Lish practically bit my head off. The last thing I knew they were a pale, kind of pastel blue."

"_Pastel_ _blue_? Who dresses their bridesmaids in _pastel blue_?" Caitlyn shuddered. "I've seen pastel pink, dark blue, lime green, the most disgusting shade of maroon you could possibly imagine, but _pastel blue_? No way."

"Woah, sorry I spoke. It might not be that any more, that was about two weeks ago and I know Lish, she changes her mind every few days. It's kind of annoying actually."

Caitlyn perked up at the sound of Nate finding flaw in miss perfect. "How so?"

They reached the street. "Well it just gets on my nerves. One moment she's all excited about going on a date with me, she has an outfit planned and everything, then by the time the night comes, she's changed her mind and ends up going out for a night out with friends instead. I've almost given up trying to be with her outside the apartment, she has friends everywhere who are always around to take her away from me."

"That seems kind of odd. It's almost like she deliberately won't go out into public with you."

"Nah, she's just got a lot of friends who all live locally."

"Whatever you say... so are you living round here then?"

"Yeah, we moved back about, I don't know... three months ago? It was just after I proposed; we decided that we wanted to move back to the city we both grew up in and we did. Have you lived here with Mitchie the whole time?"

"Well I never lived anywhere else. Mitch and I spent our gap year in University travelling, we toured Canada and most of the States. But we never owned an apartment anywhere but here."

Nate stopped and pointed Caitlyn through a door into a cosy little café. She had been in her a couple of times when her and Mitchie wanted to go out for meals and she had thoroughly enjoyed it before so she smiled as she opened the door into the cramped little room and took a deep breath.

The first thing that struck her was the deep smell of coffee that lingered in Caitlyn's nostrils even when she breathed out. The chairs and tables were all darkened with age, squashed in around each other, and there was quiet music playing in the background. A good dozen people were already sitting inside, deep in their own conversations, as Nate and Caitlyn silently navigated their way to a table in the back corner.

"Any reason you chose this place?" Caitlyn asked as she pulled back her chair.

"Because I miss these places." Nate sighed. "Aylish doesn't like coming to these sort of cafés and restaurants. She only likes high class places, posh restaurants that sell hugely expensive courses and that you have to dress up for. I don't mind it every once in a while but I like coming to places like this, you know? The sort of place we came to as teenagers because we couldn't afford anywhere else."

"Do you remember that place... was it Dutchland? We used to go there every Thursday and work on whatever project was due next."

"And if we had no projects to work on we would just sit and talk," Nate added. "Usually about Mitchie, because she wasn't there."

"Mitchie and her latest boyfriend!" Caitlyn laughed at her own comment. In High School, Mitchie had dated almost every boy in their year. She was obsessed with finding the one before she made it into the real world, she was desperate to find a long term boyfriend to be with for the next few years at least. Consequently, she would end things with a boy every time she found any flaw with him. Peter had paid too much attention to his studies and not enough to her, Rick had become obsessive about her. James, Liam and Kendall had all used too much hair gel while Sam had just annoyed her.

A young girl of no more than twenty sidled up to the table. She popped her gum and flicked her hair before she spoke.

"Good morning, my name is Carly and I will be your server today. What can I get you?"

"Um..." Nate scanned the menu. "Can I have the omelette please?"

"And I'll have bacon and eggs." Caitlyn said. The girl made an affirmative noise as she shuffled off again.

"So has Mitchie found anybody serious yet?" Nate continued the conversation as if the little interruption had never happened.

"Mitchie has a long term boyfriend..." Caitlyn offered. Nate raised one eyebrow at her. He could sense that she wasn't telling him everything. "Do you remember your cousin Shane?"

Nate's jaw dropped. "No! Shane and Mitchie? Together? How long has that been going on?"

"I don't know... five years or so?"

"And he never told me? He's been dating my best friend's best friend for five years and he never told me?" Nate sighed. "Wow, my family has issues."

"Yeah, well he probably didn't realise who we were. I don't think I've seen him with you since we were about fifteen."

"Oh, but still-." Nate was cut off by his phone ringing, blasting out a loud tune to the relatively quiet room. He blushed and apologised as he answered. "What's up Lish? No, I'm out with Caity, why?" He gave a tiny sigh and flashed Caitlyn a weary look. "Sure, I don't mind if you go away for the weekend. Go, have fun. I'm sure your friends will enjoy their time with you. Yeah, I know. I love you too, bye."

"She's going away for the weekend and she only just told you?" Caitlyn didn't even wait for him to end the call before she guessed.

"Her friend had a spare ticket to Hawaii and they're having a girls weekend."

"It's not right, Nate. You're marrying this girl, she should respect you. Doesn't she realise that you might want to spend some time with her?"

"She shouldn't have to change who she is just because she's marrying me, Caity."

"Well no, but she should at least warn you if she's thinking about going away and not just call you last minute."

"She's a free woman and she's perfectly entitled to go on holiday."

"Right, I know. I just don't get why... you know what? Never mind. You do what you like, she's _your _fiancée."

The girl arrived with the food at that moment, ending the tense conversation. Caitlyn thanked her for the food and chewed a slice of bacon into pulp before Nate broached a conversation again.

"You should come round mine once we're done, come and see the apartment and have a look at the latest bridesmaids designs. She won't care if you see them, you're going to be wearing them."

"Not if they're pastel blue, I'm not. I don't wear anything darker than sky blue and even that only if my life depends on it."

_xOx_

"What floor did you say you're on, exactly?" Caitlyn heaved a huge breath as she leant against the banister.

"Only one more flight of stairs, Caity. And I did warn you right from the start that it would take a while to reach the sixteenth floor on foot."

"I wasn't listening." She groaned. "Come on, let's go. I would at least like to be on the right floor before I die."

Nate rolled his eyes as he took the final twenty steps two at a time and grabbed Caitlyn's hands before she could fall backwards. He dragged her along the short hallway and reached into his pocket to find his key. Caitlyn staggered back onto her own two feet as he slipped the key into the door and opened apartment number seven-four-seven.

Nate pushed Caitlyn inside first and so she was the first one to see the alarmed Aylish standing in the middle of the room, her arms wrapped affectionately around the waist of a tall, blond boy. She was kissing him passionately and didn't seem to have noticed that she had new company. Nate saw the curly red hair seconds later and froze on the spot.

"Aylish?"

She gasped, spinning around. "Nate? This isn't what it looks like!"

Caitlyn was no fool. She stepped in before Nate could. "Don't listen to her, Nate. This is exactly what it looks like." As she spoke, more and more details slotted into place. "All those times you told me about when she was off with her so called friends were a lie. She was off with guys like this, cheating on you behind your back."

"How would you know?" Aylish spat. "You haven't spoken to him in ten years until you met a week ago, what could you possibly know about me?"

The blonde guy, obviously uncomfortable, was slowly slipping in the direction of the wide open door. Nobody made any attempt to stop him.

"Aylish, how could you do this to me?" Nate breathed. "I loved you, I really did." The redhead's eyes watered.

"I'm sorry Nate, please forgive me. It was just one mistake, it's never happened before, I promise. Please don't leave me! I need you, I love you!" Her wide eyes stared beseechingly at him and he sighed, giving in. He couldn't say no to that expression, not on the girl he loved.

"I forgive you, Lish. Just, please, don't ever do anything like that again because I won't hesitate to leave you."

"I promise Nate, I promise."

Caitlyn felt sick. How could Nate do that? He had just caught her cheating with his own eyes and she hadn't even tried to deny that she had done it before, but he had just forgiven her. If Nate couldn't even trust his future wife to stay loyal to him then what was their relationship based on? Lies? Dishonesty? Secrecy?

Caitlyn turned away as Aylish leant in to kiss the curly haired young man. She kept her back to them as she left the room and trudged deliberately towards the staircase. She needed as much time to herself and to think as possible.

Her feet guided her down two flights of stairs without her brain even registering where she was going. Nate was _too_ nice. It was official. Who would take someone back after they had cheated on them? Couples broke up all the time just because of mere rumours of cheating. Nate had seen it literally feet away from him, heard Aylish's confession and then proceeded to take her back on the condition that she didn't do it again.

A tear slipped out of her eye and dribbled down her cheek. As the drop of salty water fell from the bottom of her chin, the floodgates opened. Her body began to shake and her legs turned to jelly. She blindly stumbled down the last few steps and then collapsed against the whitewashed wall.

When she had seen Aylish and the man she had, stupidly perhaps, assumed that Nate was going to be the man and break up with her, giving Caitlyn a chance. Even if she had been forced to wait a few months until Nate was over his fiancée, she would have been in a better position than she was now.

She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, resting the side of her head on the top of her makeshift table and staring at the wall to her left. She was in no state to go anywhere for a while, she needed to calm down and preferably find a bathroom to clean her face in before she left.

Footsteps on the stairs above her made her wince. Whoever came passed would probably think she was crazy, not stop and offer to help. She could hear that the footsteps were in quite a hurry and doubted she would receive any kind words from the stranger.

She didn't even bother to look up until she heard the footsteps stop at the top of the nearest staircase. She heard a gasp and somebody hissed her name.

"Caity! Caity, are you okay?"

It was Nate.

Nate had followed after her.

"Caity, what's wrong?" He crouched down in front of her and waited for her to look at him before he brushed away the hair that was clinging to her wet face. Caitlyn was aware of another, softer, set of footsteps coming down the stairs and saw Nate glance around.

"Come on, Caity. Stand up, tell me what's wrong." Nate uncharacteristically tugged on her arm, pulling until she was on her feet. "What's got you so upset?"

Caitlyn merely shook her head. She couldn't explain what the problem was without hurting her best friend, and she would rather have Nate as a best friend than nothing at all.

She looked to the top of the staircase as a figure rounded it and caught sight of Aylish, smiling smugly, slowly descending. A quick glance at Nate showed not adoration or love like she had expected, but frustration and anger.

Suddenly, Nate snapped his head to face Caitlyn. His expression changed to something unreadable and he stepped uncomfortably close to her.

"Nate, wha-?"

She broke off as Nate's lips crushed against her own in the more passionate kiss she had ever felt.

For a full second, Caitlyn didn't know what to do. This was her wildest dream, yet it felt so wrong. Her head was telling her to pull away but her heart was telling her the opposite, to kiss Nate back as hard as he was kissing her.

For once, she chose to listen to the less sensible of the two, the thing that was most likely to get broken, and began to move her lips in time with his.

There were literally fireworks. She could feel them exploding all around her as Nate wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

They couldn't have been kissing for more than a minute when Nate pulled away. To Caitlyn's utter horror, he immediately turned to the surprisingly calm Aylish, smirking, and then began to walk up the stairs.

"I'll see you soon, Caity." He called, taking his fiancée's hand as he turned the corner and strolled out of sight.

**I feel kind of harsh for ending it here but it's already ten pages and it's only about half way through. This part was originally longer, they had more meetings up, but I want to go to bed. Yet I also want to post this so I'm going to. **

**I know full well that you're probably confused, but I'll be posting part two soon... in my time. I can't say when exactly, you'll just have to wait.**

**Review if you want to find out what happens :D**

****Spwarkle****


	2. Chapter 2

**For those of you who thought that the end of part one was too rushed or unclear, I totally agreed and I apologise! I've rewritten it if you want to go back and check. I also added more to the end about four minutes before I posted this, so you probably want to read it again.**

**I am soooooooooo sorry about how long it's been since part one... I was on holiday all week and I meant to upload this before I went but with packing, last minute phone calls and such, I didn't have time. Sorry!**

"He is such a d-!"

"Mitchie, you've already told me that about three times."

"How can you be so calm about this!"

Caitlyn sighed. "I don't know," she whispered to herself. "I've been asking myself the same question."

"Huh?"

"I didn't say anything."

"Look," Mitchie took Caitlyn's hands and smiled kindly at her. "He obviously kissed you to get back at Aylish, but not explaining and then leaving straight afterwards is just plain cruel. You have every right to be screaming and shouting, smashing every object in sight and throwing darts at his picture, yet you're sitting here completely calmly. How are you doing that?"

"I don't know."

"Caitlyn! Work out your rage on something!"

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Because I know you. If you don't work out your rage then you'll be quiet and mopey, sensitive and touchy for the next _month_, and I can't stand that."

"Mitchie, it's really none of your business."

"As long as I am your best friend, this is my business."

Caitlyn sighed, rubbing her cheeks in a futile attempt to dispel the tearstains. "Fine then, I agree to go to the gym later on this afternoon and use the workout to relieve me of some stress. Are you happy now?"

"Yes!" Mitchie grinned and leapt up, skipping from the room. She reappeared a moment later. "Oh and Cait, you still have Nate's number. Feel free to send him some threatening voicemails if it makes you feel any better. Maybe you should just ask him for an explanation." Seeing the alarmed look on Caitlyn's face, she backed away slightly. "Or not. It would be totally cool if you just forgot all about it."

_xOx_

Mitchie rang the bell on the desk in front of her, tapping her foot impatiently as she heard papers shuffling behind the door. Seconds later, an elderly woman pottered out, smiling softly.

"Good afternoon, dear. How can I help you?"

Mitchie took a second to survey the woman, taking in everything that she could tell. The woman was rather short and slightly hunched over, not exactly slim and decked out in a fluffy pink cardigan and gray woollen skirt. Her eyes and mouth were framed by laughter lines. Mitchie could tell that she had once been very beautiful. But she also looked friendly, something which was essential for Mitchie's plan.

"I was wondering if you could tell me which apartment a friend of mine is staying in."

"Well I'm really not supposed to but..." The woman looked around the empty reception area. "I suppose I can make an exception this once. Who's your friend?"

"Nate Grey."

The woman's expression changed. "I'm sorry dear, but I think you're a bit late. He's engaged to be married, you know."

"Oh I know. Believe you me, I have no intention of marrying him, or anything of the sort. We have some... _issues _that we need to work out." The woman was clearly confused. "You see, earlier today, he took a girl back to his apartment. The girl is my best friend and was once his too, back in high school, and they recently reconnected. They were out for breakfast and he was going to properly introduce her to Aylish, his fiancé, but when they got there, Aylish was making out with another man. Nate, the idiot that he is, forgave her and our friend slipped away. You see, she's been in love with Nate for years but she never told him.

"Half way down the stairs, Nate came running after her and kissed her. When he was done, he pulled away and just walked off with Aylish, not bothering to explain anything to her, not bothering with anything at all actually. I want to set him straight, find out is he has even a half decent excuse. Not that there is one for what he did, I just need to talk to him. I had to come over here to pick up my friend earlier so I knew it was this building but I don't know what floor or actual apartment is his."

The old woman was clearly torn between protecting her tenants and helping out the desperate young girl. The frown on her face seemed oddly out of place, almost like she hadn't used it in a long time. When she finally spoke, there was a glimmer of laughter in her eyes.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you where the couple are. It's against our privacy regulations." The woman turned back to her office but before she stepped inside, she added one final comment. "If you go up to the sixteenth floor and ask the couple in the first door on your right, they might be able to help you."

Mitchie grinned and thanked the woman for her help before sprinting across to the elevator and pressing the up button relentlessly until the doors slid open. She leapt inside and willed the doors to close as she rammed the little button marked with the number sixteen.

The elevator crept up at a frustratingly slow pace and Mitchie found herself pulling her phone out of her pocket to check the time. It was three minutes before the little metal box drew to a stop and she could step out. The huge black number on the wall promised her that she was on the sixteenth floor, and she walked a few feet up the hallway before coming to a door on her right. Smiling victoriously, she rapped on the dark wood three times.

The door was opened almost immediately and Mitchie found herself face to face with Nate, who was wearing only jeans and was sporting surprisingly messy hair.

"Mitchie?"

"Afternoon." She didn't wait to be invited in; she forced her way through the door.

"Look, Mitch, now really isn't a good time."

"I don't care when a good time is. We need to talk. Now. I don't care if it interrupted your little make out session with Aylish either." Mitchie suddenly paused. "What happened to that promise the three of us made in High School about waiting until marriage?"

Nate's face took on a defensive look. "I haven't done anything, Mitchie. I promise. Aylish and I are waiting until we're married."

"You might be, but Aylish isn't. She probably couldn't even wait until college."

"Excuse me?" Aylish was standing just feet away, a fact that Mitchie had failed to notice until she spoke.

"You know it's true. Anyway, Nate, back to my original point, we are going to talk."

"I don't see why he should listen to you. Nate's told me all about you, running off with his cousin. You have no right to come in here and start talking dirt about me, no right at all. Just leave, before I call reception and get them to throw you out."

"Aylish, who do you think told me where your room was? It was that lovely old woman down at reception, told me exactly where to find you."  
"Mitchie, can we just have this talk about whatever is bugging you, please?"

"Okay then." Mitchie turned to the redhead. "Aylish, I suggest you leave now. If you stay then I don't want to even hear you breathing. No interrupting, no speaking, no trying to get Nate's attention. Either that or you go out for a few hours. You could hang out with some of your _friends._"

"I'm staying."

"Okay then. Nate, ignore her, or I will personally force her out. Got it?"

"Jesus Mitchie, when did you become such a controlling person?"

"Got it?" She growled.

"Yes, yes! I've got it."

"Alright, let's get started."

Mitchie could tell that Nate had no idea what this talk was about. His expression clearly said that he was worried about Mitchie's sanity; he clearly hadn't even considered that this would be about the kiss. Mitchie knew Nate, he had probably forgotten all about it and expected to be able to call on Caitlyn in the morning for another couple of hours together. Deciding that this was the best place to start, Mitchie spoke.

"Nate, you don't know anything about girls. You might think that you do, having had two best friends that were female and being engaged, but you obviously don't know how we work. Generally, if somebody kisses us and we kiss them back, it means that we like them. We also usually expect to get together with them, especially if they initiated the kissing. We don't expect them to turn away and walk off hand in hand with their fiancée without even bothering to talk to us."

"I said bye!" Nate told her. Mitchie was appalled. Did he really think that this was enough?

"Nate, that's worse that just walking off! If you had been in love with your best friend for years and then they kissed you, you would expect an explanation, wouldn't you?"

"In _love_?"

Mitchie cursed herself. "That's... the extreme. I'm just making a point. I would be slightly shocked if you kissed me and Caitlyn was. Why did you kiss her?"

"Well..."

"It was my fault." Aylish said quietly. She spoke quietly, afraid of being attacked by the seemingly fierce brunette. When Mitchie didn't snap at her, she continued, slightly arrogantly. "I- when Caitlyn left, Nate asked my why I had cheated on him. He then asked where Caitlyn was before I could answer and I got annoyed. I said that since he obviously cared about her more, why didn't he cheat on me with her to even the playing ground. Nate then said that he wouldn't cheat on me, ever, but he had to make sure that she was okay. He chased after her and I followed. He was honestly just trying to find out what had upset her but when I appeared he was-."

"I was angry." Nate took over. "I was angry at Aylish and her words came to mind so I kissed Caitlyn without really thinking about it. I didn't expect her to kiss me back. I thought she'd pull away." Nate frowned slightly and then sighed. "I didn't expect there to be fireworks." He whispered.

Unfortunately, Aylish heard.

"Fireworks? Excuse me? You always said that there were sparks when we kissed. How can you gat _fireworks _when your best friend kisses you and only sparks when you kiss your fiancée?"

"I-."

"I don't want to hear Nate! Just tell me that you were joking, that you'll take it back and never even see Caitlyn again."

Nate gave a sad smile. "I will..." Mitchie growled. "I will never be able to do that." Both girls gasped. "I can't never see Caitlyn again. I can't take back what I said because it's true. It's absolutely true. I'm really sorry about this Aylish, but I'm going to have to ask for that ring back."

Nate looked pointedly at the diamond ring on her long, thin finger and a tear rolled down Aylish's cheek.

"You're breaking up with me?"

"Don't pretend you're upset. I know that we're- we _were _engaged, but you never loved me. Don't bother fooling yourself. If you'd loved me, you would have stayed loyal to me, not cheated on me with every guy you could get your hands on. I know what you were doing every time you 'went away with friends' because I'm not an idiot. I just chose never to put the puzzle together because, until just over a week ago, I had no other option. It was you or nobody. Now, I've got another choice and, to be honest, I would rather spend my life with my best friend that a cheating girl who I never loved."

"You're telling me that you're in love with your best friend? How cliché."

"Yeah, I am. I'm in love with Caitlyn Gellar." Nate grinned as he finally admitted it aloud, feeling a huge weight lift off of his shoulders. He had become accustomed to the overhanging feeling, had never noticed how cumbersome it was until it was until it had evaporated. Mitchie almost laughed at the outraged look on Aylish's face.

"Well you're going to spend your life alone then. She doesn't love you back."

"Yes, she does." Mitchie assured him.

"I know. It makes sense now. Everything she's said to me makes more sense if I factor in the fact that she loves me. She told me that she fell in love years ago and that the guy didn't love her back and then, when she was leaving, she mouthed something. It looked like 'I love you' but I assumed I was just misreading her lips. It all fits. Why she left and was crying when I took you back this morning, Lish, Everything makes absolute sense."

"Since you're so in love, I guess I'll just be leaving then." Aylish pulled off the ring and threw it sharply at Nate's head. He made no attempt to catch it and it fell to the floor, rolling away. Aylish reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone and left the apartment without another word to Nate or Mitchie. As she waited for the elevator, her voice carried up the hall.

"Hey babe, yeah, I got rid of him finally. Can I come around, make up for this morning?" She gave a giggle. "Exactly." Nate rolled his eyes as he pushed the door shut, drowning out the voice.  
"Well that was surprisingly easy." Mitchie scanned the floor for the silver ring and caught sight of it behind a table leg, almost as if it were cowering away. She bent down to pick it up. "Nice ring, where'd you get it?"

Nate shrugged. "Some shop. I let her pick her own ring and she caught sight of that. It took her fancy. Cost me an arm and a leg but it made her happy." Mitchie handed him the ring and he held it up to the light. "It's still in pretty good condition. Do you think they'd take it back?" Suddenly, he grinned. "Do you think Caitlyn would like it?"

"Excuse me? At the moment, you'll be lucky if she even looks at you. There is no way I am letting you propose to her."

"No, I don't mean it like that!" Nate shook his head frantically. "I was just wondering. I mean, I want to marry her one day, but would she like a ring like this, that costs a fortune, or do you think she would be happier with a simpler one, one with a smaller diamond and not a huge whatever-this-is?"

"Nate, before you start thinking about your proposal, you might want to get her forgiveness."

"You're right. I need to go and see her. Where is she? Is she at your apartment?"

"No." Nate waited for her to continue but she didn't.

"Where is she?"

"I don't know if I should tell you."

"What? Why not? I love her! I need to see her!"

"Nate, you announced less than ten minutes ago that you were in love with your best friend, you broke up with your fiancée and then you wanted to propose to somebody else. I think that you need to take some time to calm down and think about your options before you run off to Caitlyn. I'm not letting you hurt her. Once you've chosen her, you're with her for one hell of a long time, if not forever."

"I know. I'm ready. Caitlyn isn't just some rebound girl; she is the girl that I love. I am honestly in love with her. She is the one."

Mitchie was still torn between loyalties. Caitlyn's current relaxation or Caitlyn's future happiness? She chewed the inside of her cheek for a few minutes, picturing Caitlyn's reaction. She was supposed to be at the gym, working off her hurt and frustration, but there was no guarantee that she hadn't gone for a wander around the city.

"I know where she's supposed to be. I just don't know if she'll want you there..."

"Mitchie!"

"She's at the gym."

Nate shot to the door immediately but Mitchie grabbed his arm and held him back.

"Before you go running off, you might want to put on a shirt, a pair of shoes, brush your hair and maybe take some proof that Aylish is gone for good." Nate groaned. "Just do what I say, Nate. I know my best friend."

_xOx_

Caitlyn had worked up to a steady beat. She was running on a treadmill with a completely clear mind, something that she had only achieved after a gruelling hour of attempts. Her headphones were firmly in her ears and she was listening to music that she wouldn't usually admit to even owning, metal. The words were screeched, the lyrics made no sense, but the beat was constant and she was focusing on the music instead of everything else that had gone wrong in her life.

She was mostly running with her eyes closed. The designer of the gym had situated the treadmills in front of a mirror in an attempt to make the room seem bigger but Caitlyn found it off-putting. She didn't want to see herself running; she just wanted to get on with it.

The track she had been listening to drew to a close and she realised just how hot she was. One hand paused the music and the other reached for her bottle. She didn't stop running but when she accidentally knocked the bottle, she opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was the reflection of the bottle, rolling on the floor. Next, she caught sight of the curly haired man who had bent to pick it up. He was watching her in the mirror, a serious expression on his face, and she was so shocked to see him that Caitlyn stumbled and fell, wobbling down the high-speed running-machine and falling backwards with a scream. To her surprise, she never hit the floor.

Nate had caught her and was holding her carefully on her feet. Without speaking a word, he lowered her onto the floor from the machine and then looked her in the eyes.

"Thanks," she muttered, looking away. Nate sighed, reaching for her hand.

"Caity, can I talk to you please?"

"I don't have the time, Nate. I didn't realise how late it was. I was just getting ready to go. I've got to get home, Mitchie and I are going out tonight, she told me to get home soon."

She turned away and bent down to pick up the bottle on the floor, trying to hide the tears in her eyes. Nate watched her as she pulled out her headphones and removed her trainers, still crouched on the floor. He only spoke when she was standing again.

"I know you're not going out tonight. Mitchie was the one who sent me here, she wouldn't have done that if she needed you home."

"Look, Nate," she closed her eyes for a second. "Why don't you just forget about me? Forget we ever knew each other. Go home to Aylish, live happily ever after with the love of your life and forget about me. You were fine without me for a decade, I'm sure you can do it for a few more."

"Why would I want to do that?"

"I never said that you would. I just think it's best for me. If you really consider me your best friend then you'd let me do what I need to do."

"Maybe I don' consider you my best friend." Caitlyn shook her head, walking in the direction of the changing rooms. Nate grabbed her wrist before she had gone more than a few feet. "Don't go, Caity."

She sighed, taking a deep breath and then jerking away from him, speeding up and almost running. Tears fell down her cheeks. She knew it was the best thing to do – moving on like she had never even known Nate – but she wasn't entirely sure that she was up to it. Could she really go on with her life like she hadn't fallen in love at seventeen? She placed her hand on the door, ready to push it open, when Nate's final shout reached her ears and she stopped.

"I broke up with her!"

"What?" She turned very slowly, not quite believing her ears. Nate was still standing by the vacant treadmill, looking desperate. She knew that he couldn't hear what she had said but she was evidently listening.

"I broke up with Aylish," he repeated. He slowly began to work his way towards her, navigating around the various equipment blocking his route without breaking eye contact. "Mitchie will vouch for me, she was there."

"Why?" Caitlyn breathed.

""Because I discovered that she wasn't the girl for me after all. I don't think I ever really loved her, not in the same way that I love you."

Caitlyn forced herself to blink and swallow several times as Nate reached her, immediately taking her hand and holding it palm upwards. He dropped a little silver ring into her hand and she picked it up with shaking fingers.

"It's Aylish's ring," he explained. "I brought it to prove that we really are over." Nate took both of her hands in his own. "Caity, can you forgive me? I'm sorry I was such an idiot earlier on. I was trying to get even at Aylish, make her feel what I felt when I caught her and that guy. I never stopped to think what you might think about the situation. I am so sorry for what I did, so sorry."

"I forgive you."

Her words shocked both of them. Nate hadn't expected her to give in that easily, he was prepared to give her a full explanation and map out every detail of his thoughts, he had thought he would have to get Mitchie to promise Caitlyn that he and Aylish were really over. Caitlyn herself hadn't expected the words to slip. In her mind, she had forgiven Nate the moment he had caught her but she did want to know why he had had a sudden change of heart. It was when he had told her that he loved her that she had realised something she had been hiding from herself since she was a teenager.

Nate was the one. He was the one that she wanted to grow old with, the one that she would never forget. He wasn't just her first love, he was her only love.

"I love you Caity," he said softly.

"I love you too."

"Can I kiss you again, if I promise not to leave this time?"

"You promise you'll stay?"

"Forever."

**Okay, so I kind of got bored half way through writing this. Sorry if it seems a bit choppy towards the end. I really want to get on with finishing the next chappy of UOTH, so sorry about how long it's been since I updated on that. **

**Drop me a review here and I'll make a point of finishing chapter 14 faster, deal? If not, it should be up within 24 hours :)**

****Spwarkle****


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